Rogers County, Okla., to Buy Financial Transparency Software

County commissioners voted to pursue a formal contract with software provider Socrata.

by Cydney Baron, Claremore Daily Progress
/
June 8, 2018

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(TNS) — In the name of transparency for their constituents, the Rogers County Commissioners are pursuing a software program that would allow their financial records to be accessed by the general public.

They heard a presentation this week by Steve Moerbe with Socrata, a company which provides "cloud-based solutions to allow government organizations to put their data online, make data-driven decisions, operate more efficiently, and share insights with citizens."

He said the financial documents can be used internally by county staff and elected officials as well as externally by the public at large.

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With a fee of $12,000 per year, the county would have support and training on how to utilize the system.

Moerbe added that, "not many counties in Oklahoma have this."

Commissioner Ron Burrows said, "We're moving into a digital way of life and this is just one more piece of that that allows people to access data as they want it."

He added, “This is something I feel really committed to. It’s something I campaigned for, to give people a sense of confidence and security. To give them the sense that they don’t have to come to a meeting to find out the finances, they’ll be able to access it online.

Ultimately the three commissioners agreed to pursue the project, voting to move forward to draft a formal contract with Moerbe.